A total of 115,219 Malta residents went abroad in the first three months of this year, an increase of 11.4% over the same period last year.

The National Statistics Office said that in the first quarter, the number of trips towards EU countries stood at 105,346, an increase of 15% over the same quarter last year.

Italy and the United Kingdom remained the most popular destinations, with a share of 56.5% of total tourist trips.

Total nights spent by outbound tourists increased by 6.7%, reaching 705,845 nights.

In absolute terms, the majority of guest nights were spent in private accommodation establishments.

Total estimated outlay by resident tourists between January and March increased by one per cent over the same quarter of 2016, and stood at €92.8 million, equivalent to an average €806 per trip.

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